Writer at The Athletic. Knight-Wallace fellow 2023-24. Author of KINGDOM QUARTERBACK, a book on Patrick Mahomes and the history of Kansas City. Order below:
Brooklyn, NY
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There's a great "Switched on Pop" pod episode on how “Take Me Home, Country Roads" became incredibly popular in Asia: open.spotify.com/episode/62S…
But also the song is not out of place at all in global football. Listening to 75K fans at Old Trafford last fall was unforgettable:
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I’ve never seen Brooklyn like this. Wandered around Fort Greene before the game started and there’s a scene like this every 10 blocks.
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I haven't posted on here about this yet, but I helped my friend @nate_bukaty with a book on Kansas City's World Cup bid — and journey to becoming a soccer capital. It'll be out May 26. It's a cool story-and there's truth to Andrew's point below. Pre-order: amazon.com/Perfect-Pitch-Kan…
No market in North America has taken hosting the World Cup more seriously than Kansas City.
Massive investment to make the experience the best it can be.
No doubt it’ll be the best city from a fan perspective.
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I don't know how many people predicted Michigan to win the national title in the preseason, but @CJMooreHoops had them No. 1 in his preseason rankings in October. Few people know college basketball like CJ. nytimes.com/athletic/6751366…
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Michael Kosta is a rotating host on The Daily Show and also the former 864th-ranked tennis player in the world.
I talked to him about learning how to lose, the lessons we can learn from failure, and where self-belief comes from (Our parents?).
Fun conversation:
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“I like people with big, bold personalities. I think I have a big, bold personality and I love it when people match that energy or have their own wild energy.
“I love talking to weird baseball people ... If you’ve got weird ideas, I want to hear them.”
Mark Canha on creativity:
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2008 Final Four throwback: The last time there were four one-seeds in San Antonio, I was there as a student beat reporter. And yes, “Chase Buford’s Guide to San Antonio” was my idea.
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I have to shoutout my guy @CJMooreHoops, who noticed the “no Cinderellas” trend in his tourney preview at The Athletic. nytimes.com/athletic/6207830…
used most of his picks and his advice is crushing this tournament.
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It’s such a privilege to cast a ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame. I never want to forget that. My ballot this year.
I thought a lot about Felix Hernandez. I’ve come around on really valuing peak, stardom and what a player means to his generation.
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Few people have a better track record of projecting free agent contracts than @TimBritton.
Here are the projected numbers for this free agent class, including $600-plus million for Juan Soto: nytimes.com/athletic/5893223…
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One Yankees fan, Ana from Connecticut, who was standing nearby, told me she told the guy he was a “hero” for trying to break up the play.
“It’s a championship game,” she said.
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The two Yankee fans involved in the fan interference with Mookie Betts were walked out to the concourse. (Video via a fan on the concourse.)
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Carlos Carrasco and Luis Arraez, two of Salvador Perez’s countrymen from Venezuela, are here to watch the Clemente press conference.
Arraez stood up and paid tribute.
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Salvador Perez accepting the Roberto Clemente Award tonight before Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.
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Talked to Hal McRae on Friday and he mentioned the Yankees weren’t holding him on, so he gave Fred Patek — who was on second — a heads up before this play.
“I motioned to Freddie … If we got a ground ball, I was gonna take out the middle infielder.”
nytimes.com/athletic/5819781…
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sturgill: first-ballot hall of famer. piped.video/watch?v=KKjxrlC-…
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what a treat to listen to my friend @EbonyReed discuss her new book, “Fifteen Cents on the Dollar” in New York this week. She’ll be chatting with @vgregorian in KC next Wednesday at Unity Temple! rainydaybooks.com/EbonyReed2…
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I’m about 100 pages into “The Last of His Kind,” @ByMcCullough’s book on Kershaw. It’s a real pleasure to read and a sportswriting clinic for any young journalists.
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yeah, they don’t call Clayton Kershaw “The Last of His Kind” for nothing, folks.
You can pre-order @ByMcCullough’s upcoming book today: amazon.com/Last-His-Kind-Cla…
I'm a huge sports fan. When I was 10, baseball might have been the most important thing in my life.
Here is the opening day banner on ESPN right now.
If you offered me $100m to name all these guys by thinking about it for as long as I needed, the odds I could do it are 0.00%.
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“Kansas City may just be the most optimistic, ambitious place in the country, truly the beating ‘Heart of America.’”
@mdent05 on KC for CNN:
cnn.com/2024/02/07/opinions/…
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I finished “War As They Knew It” this week before going to Michigan-Ohio State for the first time. Great book.
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PSA: Our book on football & Kansas City history is 40 percent off at Amazon for Black Friday.
“Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd write a story here that is bigger than Patrick Mahomes — and it's hard to imagine ANYTHING being bigger than Patrick Mahomes." — Poz
amazon.com/Kingdom-Quarterba…
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Was in Kansas City this past weekend for a friend’s wedding and wanted to note that while Rainy Day Books sold out of signed copies of KINGDOM QUARTERBACK, the Made in KC shop at the airport still has lots of signed copies. (the new airport is very nice.)
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Read this from @ByMcCullough on Rangers’ GM Chris Young.
“He’s everybody’s dad.”
theathletic.com/5023269/2023…
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One quick addition: I was told Al Michaels is a genuine fan of @RainyDayBooks, often visits when he’s calling games in KC, and the shoutout was his idea.
1. That’s awesome.
2. Support your local bookstore.
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Last night Al Michaels and the TNF broadcast mentioned Rainy Day Books—a local book store in the Kansas City area.
The shoutout featured our book KINGDOM QUARTERBACK. Which caused sales to spike (No. 1 in two categories, third in another) … on Amazon. amazon.com/Kingdom-Quarterba…
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“Kirk, it’s an endangered species around this country: the book store.”
Al Michaels on the legendary Rainy Day Books:
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If you’re in NYC next Thursday, Sept. 28, @mdent05 and I will be chatting with @david_j_roth and @pjsauer at DSK in Brooklyn.
greenlightbookstore.com/even…
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Finally published the sequel to my first book.
KINGDOM QUARTERBACK is in bookstores today.
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The countdown until KINGDOM QUARTERBACK is officially released is at 15 days.
We were thrilled that the great @MirinFader read an early copy.
You can pre-order a copy now: amazon.com/Kingdom-Quarterba…
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Our book on Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City, and the story of a Midwestern city comes out in a little more than three weeks.
It was an honor to have Joe Posnanski read an early copy.
You can pre-order your own copy to arrive on August 22 right now: amazon.com/Kingdom-Quarterba…
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Zack Greinke once threw Joey Votto nothing but hanging sliders because he believed Votto recognized spin better than anyone in baseball—and he knew Votto would expect the pitch to break out of the zone.
Votto on Greinke: "I f— with this guy.”
Ten stories that explain why Greinke is still effective at age 39: theathletic.com/4571774/2023…
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I’m a few years late to this one, but it’s been a bit since I devoured a book in less than a day. Incredible storytelling from @elisaslow.
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The first review of KINGDOM QUARTERBACK—our book about Patrick Mahomes and the history of Kansas City—is here from Kirkus.
They called it "lively and meaningful."
"Chiefs fans will find this a revelation, and urban planners might learn a thing or two, too."
It’s out Aug. 22.
Review: kirkusreviews.com/book-revie…
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My favorite part about this story of Jose Lima is how many @TheAthletic readers have stories about their own run-ins with Lima Time.
theathletic.com/4437514/2023…
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The plan that carried Florida Atlantic—a nine seed that didn’t have a basketball program until the 1988-89 season and had only played in one NCAA tournament before this year—to the Final Four in Houston.
“Perfect matchup … We are built for this moment.”
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Not only was Kansas City founded and named before Kansas was a state; it was founded/named before *Kansas Territory* existed. "City of Kansas" was referred to colloquially as "Kansas City" to journalists and citizens as early as the early 1850s. I'll send you a copy, too, Adam.
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Two years ago, we asked a bunch of Reds (and other people around baseball) for their best Joey Votto stories.
This time, we asked Votto for his side, then let him take a red pen and annotate the story.
The Joey Votto Oral History: The Votto Cut:
theathletic.com/4191913/2023…
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My friend @EvanDrellich put in the work on this great book about the Houston Astros. It covers the sign-stealing scandal in detail, but it’s really about, as Evan writes, “what happens when corporate America meets America’s pastime.” 👍
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